To Capture a Universe in One Small Drawing

Matt and I have at last settled on a date for our wedding. Although a sense of peaceful inevitability touches every aspect of our relationship, it still thrills me to think that there is a definite day set up for That Moment. And though we are pursuing a rather unorthodox event (lots of music, a potluck dinner, mismatched wedding party and even a javelina-styled piggy bank for generous offerings), invitations are a must in my mind - not only as a traditional announcement, but as an opportunity to send a bit of illustrative love to our friends and family.


I'm still not certain what will come from my hands tonight, as I sit down to sketch out a handful of concepts, to the tune of some classical music - most likely recordings of my father's lieder renditions. How should I encompass all that Matt and I are together, in one small drawing? Perhaps the invitation will be like a letterhead, crowned at the top with a spot... or bordered all around, with phonographs, carousel horses, station wagons and bass saxophones (just a hint at our wacky shared loves)... hard to say, and my mind gets a little jumbled at the thought of it. Once the paper is out, and the pencil is in my hand, the matter is sure to get a bit easier.



I've thrown in three pieces to show, in various ways and to different degrees, how I've "caught worlds" via illustration. The header is a tiny tribute to Vince Giordano and his Nighthawks, a NYC-based jazz orchestra - chorus girls surround a bass drum, emblazoned with the group's Electro-Voice logo. In the middle is the famous Illions Lincoln horse, which serves as the lead horse on the c.1919 B&B Carousell, currently in restoration for re-installation on Coney Island. Finally, a photographed detail of "Peacock Party", the first illustration I created for Matt - a tribute to his almost obsessive fixation on the Oriental fox-trots of the 1910s and 1920s.


With these having come from my hands, it's unlikely that a suitable wedding invitation piece will be pose too much difficulty for me... and once it's all settled in ink, I promise to post it right here.